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Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives Cognitive Domain

1. Knowledge (Remembering previously learned material)

Educational Psychology: Give the definition of punishment. Mathematics: State the formula for the area of a circle. English / Language Arts: Recite a poem.

2. Comprehension (Grasping the meaning of material)

Educational Psychology: Paraphrase in your own words the definition of punishment; answer questions about the meaning of punishment. Mathematics: Given the mathematical formula for the area of a circle, paraphrase it using your own words. English / Language Arts: Explain what a poem means.

3. Application (Using information in concrete situations)

Educational Psychology: Given an anecdote describing a teaching situation, identify examples of punishment. Mathematics: Compute the area of actual circles. English / Language Arts: Identify examples of metaphors in a poem.

4. Analysis (Breaking down material into parts)

Educational Psychology: Given an anecdote describing a teaching situation, identify the psychological strategies intentionally or accidentally employed. Mathematics: Given a math word problem, determine the strategies that would be necessary to solve it. English / Language Arts: Given a poem, identify the specific poetic strategies employed in it.

5. Synthesis (Putting parts together into a whole)

Educational Psychology: Apply the strategies learned in educational psychology in an organized manner to solve an educational problem. Mathematics: Apply and integrate several different strategies to solve a mathematical problem. English / Language Arts: Write an essay or a poem.

6. Evaluation (Judging the value of a product for a given purpose, using definite criteria)

Educational Psychology: Observe another teacher (or yourself) and determine the quality of the teaching performance in terms of the teacher's appropriate application of principles of educational psychology. Mathematics: When you have finished solving a problem (or when a peer has done so) determine the degree to which that problem was solved as efficiently as possible. English / Language Arts: Analyze your own or a peer's essay in terms of the principles of composition discussed during the semester.

Knowledge (recalling information) represents the lowest level in Bloom's taxonomy. It is "low" only in the sense that it comes first - it provides the basis for all "higher" cognitive activity. Only after a learner is able to recall information is it possible to move on to comprehension (giving meaning to information). The third level is application, which refers to using knowledge or principles in new or real-life situations. The learner at this level solves practical problems by

applying information comprehended at the previous level. The fourth level is analysis - breaking down complex information into simpler parts. The simpler parts, of course, were learned at earlier levels of the taxonomy. The fifth level, synthesis, consists of creating something that did not exist before by integrating information that had been learned at lower levels of the hierarchy. Evaluation is the highest level of Bloom's hierarchy. It consists of making judgments based on previous levels of learning to compare a product of some kind against a designated standard. Teachers often use the term application inaccurately. They assume anytime students use the information in any way whatsoever that this represents theapplication level of Bloom's taxonomy. This is not correct. A child who "uses" his memorization of the multiplication tables to write down "15" next to "5 times 3 equals" is working at the knowledge level, not the application level.

A child who studies Spanish and then converses with a native Mexican is almost certainly at the synthesis level, not at the application level. If the child made a deliberate attempt to get his past tense right, this would be an example of application. However, in conversing he would almost certainly be creating something new that did not exist before by integrating information that had been learned at lower levels of the hierarchy. Bloom's use of the term application differs from our normal conversational use of the term. When working at any of the four highest levels of the taxonomy, we "apply" what we have learned. At the application level, we "just apply." At the higher levels, we "apply and do something else."

The main value of the Taxonomy is twofold: (1) it can stimulate teachers to help students acquire skills at all of these various levels, laying the proper foundation for higher levels by first assuring mastery of lower-level objectives; and (2) it provides a basis for developing measurement strategies to assess student performance at all these levels of learning. There is not room in this book to discuss in detail each of the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. A careful reading of Table 3.3 will help readers review or understand the important distinctions among these levels of educational outcomes. Review Quiz 4 will help you determine whether you understand these distinctions. Additional information can be found in the Workbook and in (Give citations here.). Gage and Berliner (1984) have expanded upon the Taxonomy with their concept of a behavior content matrix (Figure 3.4). Across the top are listed the topics covered in a unit of instruction. Down the side are listed the levels of the Taxonomy. By writing objectives at the appropriate intersection points, the teacher is able to develop both objectives and assessment strategies that cover the full range of expectations within each topic. Since not all topics lend themselves to objectives at every level of the Taxonomy, some of the cells in this

matrix are blank; when higher level objectives occur with nothing at the lower level, the lowerlevel objectives would have to be learned in a different context.

Review Quiz 4 - Bloom's Taxonomy

Match each objective below with the level of Bloom's Taxonomy that it describes. a. Knowledge b. Comprehension c. Application d. Analysis e. Synthesis f. Evaluation

Psychomotor Domain Taxonomy This domain is characterized by progressive levels of behaviors from observation to mastery of a physical skill. Several different taxonomies exist. Simpson (1972) built this taxonomy on the work of Bloom and others:

Perception - Sensory cues guide motor activity. Set - Mental, physical, and emotional dispositions that make one respond in a certain way to a situation. Guided Response - First attempts at a physical skill. Trial and error coupled with practice lead to better performance. Mechanism - The intermediate stage in learning a physical skill. Responses are habitual with a medium level of assurance and proficiency. Complex Overt Response - Complex movements are possible with a minimum of wasted effort and a high level of assurance they will be successful. Adaptation - Movements can be modified for special situations. Origination - New movements can be created for special situations.

Simpson, E. (1972). The classification of educational objectives in the psychomotor domain: The psychomotor domain. Vol. 3. Washington, DC: Gryphon House. Dave (1970) developed this taxonomy:

Imitation - Observing and copying someone else. Manipulation - Guided via instruction to perform a skill. Precision - Accuracy, proportion and exactness exist in the skill performance without the presence of the original source. Articulation - Two or more skills combined, sequenced, and performed consistently. Naturalization - Two or more skills combined, sequenced, and performed consistently and with ease. The performance is automatic with little physical or mental exertion.

Based upon R. H. Dave, as reported in R. J. Armstrong et al., Developing and Writing Behavioral Objectives (Tucson, AZ: Educational Innovators Press, 1970). Harrow (1972) developed this taxonomy. It is organized according to the degree of coordination including involuntary responses and learned capabilities:

Reflex movements - Automatic reactions. Basic fundamental movement - Simple movements that can build to more complex sets of movements. Perceptual - Environmental cues that allow one to adjust movements. Physical activities - Things requiring endurance, strength, vigor, and agility. Skilled movements - Activities where a level of efficiency is achieved. Non-discursive communication - Body language.

The AFFECTIVE DOMAIN (Krathwohl, Bloom, Masia, 1973) includes the manner in which we deal with things emotionally, such as feelings, values, appreciation, enthusiasms, motivations, and attitudes. The five major categories are listed from the simplest behavior to the most complex:

Category

Example and Key Words (verbs)


Examples: Listen to others with respect. Listen for and remember the name of newly introduced people. Key Words: asks, chooses, describes, follows, gives, holds, identifies, locates, names, points to, selects, sits, erects, replies, uses. Examples: Participates in class discussions. Gives a presentation. Questions new ideals, concepts, models, etc. in order to fully understand them. Know the safety rules and practices them. Key Words: answers, assists, aids, complies, conforms, discusses, greets, helps, labels, performs, practices, presents, reads, recites, reports, selects, tells, writes. Examples: Demonstrates belief in the democratic process. Is sensitive towards individual and cultural differences (value diversity). Shows the ability to solve problems. Proposes a plan to social improvement and follows through with commitment. Informs management on matters that one feels strongly about. Key Words: completes, demonstrates, differentiates, explains, follows, forms, initiates, invites, joins, justifies, proposes, reads, reports, selects, shares, studies, works. Examples: Recognizes the need for balance between freedom and responsible behavior. Accepts responsibility for one's behavior. Explains the role of systematic planning in solving problems. Accepts professional ethical standards. Creates a life plan in harmony with abilities, interests, and beliefs. Prioritizes time effectively to meet the needs of the organization, family, and self. Key Words: adheres, alters, arranges, combines, compares, completes, defends, explains,

Receiving Phenomena: Awareness, willingness to hear, selected attention.

Responding to Phenomena: Active participation on the part of the learners. Attends and reacts to a particular phenomenon. Learning outcomes may emphasize compliance in responding, willingness to respond, or satisfaction in responding (motivation).

Valuing: The worth or value a person attaches to a particular object, phenomenon, or behavior. This ranges from simple acceptance to the more complex state of commitment. Valuing is based on the internalization of a set of specified values, while clues to these values are expressed in the learner's overt behavior and are often identifiable.

Organization: Organizes values into priorities by contrasting different values, resolving conflicts between them, and creating an unique value system. The emphasis is on comparing, relating, and synthesizing values.

formulates, generalizes, identifies, integrates, modifies, orders, organizes, prepares, relates, synthesizes. Examples: Shows self-reliance when working independently. Cooperates in group activities (displays teamwork). Uses an objective approach in problem solving. Displays a professional commitment to ethical practice on a daily basis. Revises judgments and changes behavior in light of new evidence. Values people for what they are, not how they look. Key Words: acts, discriminates, displays, influences, listens, modifies, performs, practices, proposes, qualifies, questions, revises, serves, solves, verifies.

Internalizing values (characterization): Has a value system that controls their behavior. The behavior is pervasive, consistent, predictable, and most importantly, characteristic of the learner. Instructional objectives are concerned with the student's general patterns of adjustment (personal, social, emotional).

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